Socket-plug switch



l construction whereby to produce a better Patented Nov. 16,' 1926.

STATES JAMES HOHER nnTTs, or Cos con, CONNECTICUT, AssiGNoR To JAMES H. B12-Tris, IN.-

' CORPORATED, oFNnW-YoRK, N. Y., A CORPORATION or NEW YORK.

SOCKET-Prine SWITCH'.

Applicationfilled June 30,

This invention relates to socket plug switches and has for its object to improve upon structures heretofore built by reducing -thenumber of parts and simplifying the article at a lower price.

A well known socket plug asher switch on the market comprises a porcelain body carrying interior and exterior screw shells at the respectiveends, an intermediate chamber containing athermostatic switch, an exterior insulating shell, and the conventional shell and terminal fastening screws, etc. Such a construction is expensive to manufacture and assemble and as heretofore manufactured ycontains unnecessary and expensive adjusting means.

I have found that a material simplification and cheapening can beeifected in such class of switch device, and adjusting means eliminated as unnecessary, by constructing the insulating body in molded sections to hold the metal conductors and switch parts without fastening' screws, and fastening the sections together for i'inal assembly. In such a structure, the conventional interior and exterior screw shells are eliminated in favor of conducting strips corrugated to engage or be engaged by a standard socket,- or-plug or lamp base, respectively.

According to a specific-form of the invention, two halves of insulating material are molded with screw plug and 'socket ends, an intermediate switch chamber, and slots for receiving and holding bent fiat strip conductors. Assembling is effected by laying the 'fiat strip conductors in the slots of one half, applying the other half to completely hold and `,enclose the strip conductors and switch parts, and fastening by screws, or

preferably by spinning outside rings on the halves. i j

In the accompanying drawings, Fig. 1 is a `perspective View, Fig. 2 is a longitudinalsection showing one of the body portions removed,

Fig. 3 is a transverse section on the line 33 of Fig. 4, l -Fig 4 is a diagram showing a series controlled circuit, and

Fig. 5 is a diagram showing a shunt controlled circuit.

Referring to Fig. 2, each body half 1 consists of a socket end 2 having molded 1924. .seriai No. 723,128.

screw threads 3 to receivea threaded 'plugor lamp base, with at one side a longitudinal slot 4 intersecting the screw threads.

The socket portion is closed by a transverseA wall 6 separating the central thermostat switch chamber` 7, which as herein shown,

vis generally rectangular in form. At the body are diagonal slots 12, 13, and through the plug portion 8 is a diagonal slot 14 and a slot 15, here shown as partly straight and partly diagonal. In slots l2, 14 and extending through chamber 7 is a line conductor 16 preferably composed of a fiat stripA bent as shown to engage the slots and be held therein. The ends of strips 16 as 'at 18, 19 are rolled or corrugated as shown to align with the respective screw threads 3, 9, and

to spring into and out of slots 4, 10 in order i to give the necessary frictional contactwith the plug or Vlamp base screwed into threads 3 and the socket screwed onto threads 9, respectively. Center contact at one end is made by a conductor 2O having bent end 21 laid in slot 15` and at the other end by a bent conductor 22 laid in slot 13 and having a bentend 23. The thermostatic switch 24 is interposed between conductors 20 and 22,

Abeing preferably carried by conductor 20 as shown, and composed of two metals, as steel and brass so arranged as to cause contact 25 to vibrate toward and fiom contact 26 on conductor 22. In Fig. 4 the side of the strip towai'd Contact 26 is steel and the other orlower side is brass.The heat-er 28 is connected at 29 to conductor 2O and thence by loose connection- .a cr0ss contacts 25, '26 to conductor 22 at 30.

In Fig. 4 the heater coil is thrown in series with the line when contacts 25, 26 are open, thus causing expansion of the vbrass side to close contacts 25, 26 to light the lamp and also short circuit the heater 28, which allows the strip to cool off and open the cony tacts.v

vtor 22 at 33. In this form the heater is directly across the line when the contacts 25,

2G are closed, thus causing the heater to heatl up and separate contacts 25, 25-to light the lamp by reason of the expansion of the. upper or brass side of the thermostat. This disconnects the heater, causing the strip to cool oil' and again close'contacts 25, 26.

The preferable construction is to make the two body portions l'substantiallyv identical, and to use flat conductor strips which can be partly inserted into the holding slots and flexed or sprung so as to rictionallyhold therein. The `other haii;n is then put over to complete the engagement. Final assembling is eli'ected by spinning a ring 35 on shoulder 36 'adjacent the plug end and ring 37 on end shoulder 38 adjacent the socket end. As herein shown no adjustable con-- tact need be provided, as same' is not found necessary after adjustment in the factory,

but if adjustment is desired it is only `nec-4 essary to providea hole as shown in dotted lines at 39, Fig. 2, 'with'a Contact screw on the stationary conductor 22 to be adjusted by screw driver relatively to contact 25.

It is to be understood that the'invention is not to be restricted to making the'body of two halves as specicallyshown herein, nor to makin the conductors of flat'wires, it.being with1n the scope of this invention to'ihavethe conduct-ors wholl mounted in slots -in one body piece and t e other serving as al holding means and cover, but it is considered that the greatest economy is obtained by making the two body portions practically identical 'and using conductors andfslots 'partly in each, in combination v.with the external holdingl rings. Instead of holding'rings'it is of course understood that the two halves may be otherwise fastened together as by screws or rivetin If a thermostat not responsive to externa temperature variations is desired, one such as shown in Kelley Patent #908,679, 'January 15, .1909 may be used, the holdingl slots and conductors being modified accordlngly. By the construction described it is seen that fastenin screws, screw shells, etc., heretofore used 1n small lflashers ofthis type are eliminated, inasmuch `as ample contact-is securedby 'the-corrugated resilient terminals 18, 19.

' It will-beseen that in assembling the conductors simply have to be laid into the slots andone or both of the connections 29, 39 in Fig. 4 made by soldering, or both connec tions 32, 33 'in Fig. 5.

Various modifications and changes may be madein the specific construction and details herein shownwithout departing from the' scope of the appended claims.

I claim: A

1. An'electric switch device comprising longitudinal body sections of insulating material formed when assembled to embody at'one end a screw plug and at the other'a screw socket,\said sections enclosing a centhe otheras a partial screw socket and with an intermediate chamber, said portions when assembled completing the respective screw plug and socket', at least one of said halves being formed with conductor receiving and holding slots, conductorsl inserted and -held in sald slots and chamber comprising internal and external en dfand side contacts and a thermostatic-.switch,. and means for securing the sections, together.

3. An electric switch device comprising similar longitudinal body sections of insulating material formed when assembled to embody at` one' end a screw plug and at the 4other a screw socket, said sections enclosing a central switch chamber, said bodysections 1 'formed with vinterior slots to receive and fholdconductors passing into and through the central chamber to provide center and side contactsfor eachscrew end andswitch connections in the chamber, and means vfor fastening the sections together.

y 4. An electric switch device comprising similar longitudinalJ body sections of insulating material formed when assembled to embody at one end a screw plug and at the other a screw socket, said sect-lons enclosing a central switch chamber, said body sections formed with interior slots to receive and hold resilient strip conductors passing into and through the central chamber toprovide center and side contacts Vfor each screw endend switch connectionsA in the chamber, and means for :fastenin the sections together.

5. flashing switch device comprising a hollow body 'of insulating material formed at one end to contact with a socket and at the other en dtoreceive a' plug or a lamp base, said body having an intermediate chamber, a line conductor'in the form of a stripl 6. A liashing switch device comprising a 1 hollow body of insulating material formed at one end to connect with -a socket and at the other end to receive a plug or lampbase, said body having an intermediate chamber fwmgm@ crm-gimp m, Asthezf'lzxmstzttlf: swach, Said. bndy flash L lamp Whann circuit between a, somme ntmoy nmeiwithwonducm slots', cm1- U supply and a, lamp. v v n "'ruc'lsnrs -tonmlly held in tha @om md Sigma@ mb New -,`Yok in the county of -10 exposed at fighe ends '0f-the boy to @fami-de lew York and State of New Ymk th 25th line mnd mlp -tmminals zmd'a ihemosmtc daily of June A. D. 1924. swwh in said chamba" :having ommfixms ,Y

"with smid conductors' such @s 'to pmdicy l BETTS. 

